Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
One last vein to poke made it too dark to see this
Scenery slips then line up to go in the ground and leave us
So repeat this till I'm sick and I won't feed this
To my little girl who kept me in this world to beat this
As a little kid taught to follow Jesus
Get to the front of the line I'm bein' lead by elitists
So when I speak words that I don't mean
It's like I'm only in a cloud to wonder what serene is
Unable to wake and delete the reasons
Or be the same bed I made up to sleep with demons
Whether sick sane of a pattern repeated
If I spit pain I knew how to relieve it
If at sixteen I had started to treat it
Till my shit change whether or not I would need it
To trace back to the face before the fetus
If the departure was wrong from the gate then she is
Trigger finger itch
The son of a snitch
I'm the rat's favorite son
Last to pal and cut
Slit to bleed the rust
By the last heart I've won
We roll under covers waiting
I've tied off a limb debating
If all of the names forsaken
Spell out what I'm takin'
Watching the skin pop
I would do anything to
Tell you why I've been late to
Fix up my head and escape to
Where I can rest my eyes
The sun says wake up with a beam in my eyes
Clutchin' the bed like she's still by my side part of me died
Even when I prescribed still just to be ostracized
'Cuz she don't really know if she wants to ride or drive
While no nooses long enough to hang my excuses
Whether I'm dead, gun to my head, or reclusive
The end is close almost no need for money
Yet when I wished for death nobody took my life from me
If I cannot see what's right in front of me
And the lights on there still wouldn't be enough to leave
I fixed me when I broke the aggression
But I'm still attracted to my beautiful depression
If I felt emotions I learned to suppress 'em
Till I'm ready to sleep I'll have found a place to rest then
No thanks to angst I learned my lesson
And can erase the face that can't answer the questions
Trigger finger itch the son of a snitch
I'm the rat's favorite son
And by the time I'm back
That heart that beats so black
Let it shine like his gun
We roll under covers waiting
I've tied off a limb debating
If all of the names forsaken
Spell out what I'm taking
Watching the skin pop
Scenery slips then line up to go in the ground and leave us
So repeat this till I'm sick and I won't feed this
To my little girl who kept me in this world to beat this
As a little kid taught to follow Jesus
Get to the front of the line I'm bein' lead by elitists
So when I speak words that I don't mean
It's like I'm only in a cloud to wonder what serene is
Unable to wake and delete the reasons
Or be the same bed I made up to sleep with demons
Whether sick sane of a pattern repeated
If I spit pain I knew how to relieve it
If at sixteen I had started to treat it
Till my shit change whether or not I would need it
To trace back to the face before the fetus
If the departure was wrong from the gate then she is
Trigger finger itch
The son of a snitch
I'm the rat's favorite son
Last to pal and cut
Slit to bleed the rust
By the last heart I've won
We roll under covers waiting
I've tied off a limb debating
If all of the names forsaken
Spell out what I'm takin'
Watching the skin pop
I would do anything to
Tell you why I've been late to
Fix up my head and escape to
Where I can rest my eyes
The sun says wake up with a beam in my eyes
Clutchin' the bed like she's still by my side part of me died
Even when I prescribed still just to be ostracized
'Cuz she don't really know if she wants to ride or drive
While no nooses long enough to hang my excuses
Whether I'm dead, gun to my head, or reclusive
The end is close almost no need for money
Yet when I wished for death nobody took my life from me
If I cannot see what's right in front of me
And the lights on there still wouldn't be enough to leave
I fixed me when I broke the aggression
But I'm still attracted to my beautiful depression
If I felt emotions I learned to suppress 'em
Till I'm ready to sleep I'll have found a place to rest then
No thanks to angst I learned my lesson
And can erase the face that can't answer the questions
Trigger finger itch the son of a snitch
I'm the rat's favorite son
And by the time I'm back
That heart that beats so black
Let it shine like his gun
We roll under covers waiting
I've tied off a limb debating
If all of the names forsaken
Spell out what I'm taking
Watching the skin pop
Lyrics submitted by 1218eighty-two
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Whitelightning: It's clearly "part of me died." even if you're allleged friend allegedly wrote this (which i seriously doubt), he says part of me died.
Migraine: He is saying "rat's favorite son." In street slang, a snitch is a rat. "This son of a snitch, I'm the rat's favorite son."
Bargs: Nice pickup on the gf thing.
And RJD2's production is phenomenal on this track. Although I feel Polumbo's hook is great also, I find his harmony track behind the hook to be slightly off or something. Regardless, it's one of the best songs on the disc IMHO